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 Discovery & Evangelization of America, 5th Centenary: Blessed Junipero Serra Scott 902 (1992) Today marks the feast day for Saint Junipero Serra, the "Apostle of California". The stamp shown above was issued by Vatican City as part of the "Discovery and Evangelization of America" set in 1992. Note that the stamp lists Father Serra as "Blessed" ("Beato") as it was issued prior to his canonization in 2015. Miguel Serra (1713-1784) was born on the island of Majorca, off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. When he became a Franciscan Friar at age 17, he took the name Junipero. He was ordained priest in 1738. He was named after one of St. Francis’ companions also named Junipero, which refers to the juniper tree. After teaching theology and philosophy, at his request, he was sent as a missionary to native peoples of North America in 1750. During his time in California from 1750 to 1784, Father Serra walked the length of the West Coast of North America. On July 16, 1769, he established the first mission in California, the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Known as the "Mother of the Missions," it was the first of 21 Spanish missions built in Alta California and marked the beginning of European colonization in the region. 
 Church of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, San Diego, California and 200th Anniversary of San Diego Settlement (US Scott 1373, 1969) From Wikimedia Commons, credits in References Father Serra worked at converting and catechizing thousands of native peoples, as well as teaching methods in farming and agriculture. He defended Indian rights against exploitation by Spanish colonizers, who established the missions under Spanish colonial authority. The missions were administered by Franciscan friars and were designed to assimilate Indigenous populations into European culture and Catholicism. Father Serra would establish his headquarters in northern California in Carmel at Monterey. Other missions included San Antonio, San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara, and San Buenaventura. The mission at Carmel has been preserved and one room displays his austere bedroom, furniture, and simple items associated with mission life.  Statue of Junípero Serra at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, California Photo by Bernard Gagnon From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license Remembered as the "Apostle of California", Father Serra died on August 28, 1784 at Carmel. California. He was canonized on September 23, 2015, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Francis, during the pope's one visit to the United States. The United States has issued two stamps that can be tied to Saint Junipero Serra. The first, issued in 1969 and presented above, marks the 200th anniversary of the first European settlement in California and features the belfry of the Carmel Mission. The US also issued an airmail stamp honoring Junipero Serra in 1985 (Scott C116). That stamp is not shown, but can be viewed by clicking on the National Postal Museum link in the References. Spain and Mexico have also released stamps in his honor. REFERENCES: * Church of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, San Diego, Photo by MARELBU, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license * San Diego Settlement Stamp, from United States Postal Service, in the Public Domain |
